DAKAR, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Senegal reported 8 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 350 in the west African country, Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action announced on Saturday.

During the daily COVID-19 briefing, Marie Khemesse Ngom Ndiaye, Director General of Public Health and President of the National Committee for the Management of Epidemics, said 8 of the 226 virological examinations carried out within the past 24 hours came back positive.

The new cases are 3 follow-up contact cases and five cases of community transmission. A total of 211 patients out of the 350 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Senegal are cured, she said.

So far, Senegal has reported 350 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March 2, the start of the pandemic in Senegal. Among those confirmed cases, 85 are imported ones.

Facing the increasing number of community transmission cases, Senegalese Minister of Health and Social Action Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr strongly recommended the population to wear masks at public places, including markets and public transports.

Senegalese President Macky Sall said Friday evening the daily curfew could be extended by three hours in a bid to contain the rise of community transmission cases.

Sall extended the current state of emergency in a presidential decree on April 4, along with the dusk-to-dawn curfew for 30 days, till May 4. Enditem

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